The present invention relates generally to the field of telecommunications services, and more particularly to a telephone service provided within a telecommunications network.
The incorporated patent applications describe a system and method for creating and executing customized telecommunication services tailored to subscribers' needs. The system of the incorporated patent applications includes a service creation environment for creating customized telephone services and a service execution environment for executing the telephone services. The service creation environment includes a graphical user interface which permits an operator to build a displayed graphical representation of a desired service using "nodes," "decision boxes," and "branches." Each node represents a high level instruction for the execution of the service. The displayed graphical representation of the service is translated to a binary representation and stored as a call processing record (CPR). CPRs are transmitted from a creation environment to an execution environment where they are executed during call processing operations to return call processing instructions to querying telephone switches.
The system and method for creating and executing customized telephone services described in the incorporated patent applications are described as being implemented in the Advanced Intelligent Telephone Network (AIN). FIG. 1A illustrates a general overview of the AIN.
The AIN may comprise System Service Points (SSPs) 10 and 20, a Signal Transfer Point (STP) 30, a Service Control Point (SCP) 40, Service Management Systems (SMS) 50, and a Data and Reports System (DRS) 60. The SSPs may also be linked to a Cellular Mobility Service Controller (MSC) 15, providing communications with, for example, mobile cellular telephone 17. SMS 60 provides a support interface through which customer data and service logic can be added or managed. DRS 60 further provides network data generated by various components.
SSPs are programmable central office switching systems which receive telephone calls from subscriber telephones 5. Each SSP recognizes a variety of "triggers" from customer telephone call signals and generates queries to the SCP based on the triggers. SSPs may be programmed to recognize a number of different triggers indicating that a call is an AIN-type call. For example, the trigger may relate to the particular called number, even the area code of that number, or the particular service access code (SAC) such as "500."
The SSPs communicate with the local area STP 30 over a Common-Channel-Signalling (CCS) data network 64. CCS network 64 employs data communication channels separate from those channels used to transmit customer voice signals. STP 30 is linked to SCP 40 over a CCS packet-switched network 68. The CCS network switches data in packets instead of allocating circuits for the duration of a call. STP 30 provides the packet-switching functions. Although a direct link from STP 30 to SCP 40 is shown in FIG. 1A, further hiarchial levels of networked STPs are often provided.
Once a query has been launched to the SCP, CPRs residing within the SCP define how a telephone call received by an SSP should be processed for a particular customer. A Multi-Services Application Platform (MSAP) (not shown) residing within the SCP accesses the appropriate CPR based on a "key" associated with the call. MSAP processes the nodes of the CPR and issues corresponding call processing instructions back to the SSP. The SSPs then process customer calls in response to these commands.
As shown in FIG. 1B, the addition of a Home Location Register (HLR) 80 connected to the STP via a CCS network connection 85, provides communication between the SCP 40 and the HLR 80. The HLR maintains mobile customer location information as is well-known in the art.
The SCP may issue commands to the HLR via the STP by employing standard IS-41 protocol. The IS-41 protocol was developed by the cellular telecommunications industry to manage cell-to-cell and system-wide communications. MSC 15 is also connected to SSP 20 via a voice telephone trunk, and SSP 20 is similarly connected to SSP 10. Of course the SSPs and MSC shown in FIG. 1A are in turn connected to other SSPs and MSCs in the telephone network.
As is further shown in FIG. 1B, a Line Identification Database (LIDB) 70, which is well-known in the art, is connected to the STP via data link 75. This connection provides communication between the SCP 40 and LIDB 70.
The incorporated patent applications also disclose how MSAP may access data from the LIDB using "GetData" requests embodied in a CPR. MSAP has transparent, real-time access to information stored in external databases accessible through LIDB 70. GetData requests are source-independent; that is, the request for information is made without knowledge of the source of the information.
The above-described telephone network may provide telephone service to customers in a particular region and is itself connected to other, similar telephone networks. FIG. 2 provides an overview of how regional networks may be interconnected.
SCPs 100, 110, and 120 may represent state or regional SCPs. In other words, each of the STPs 130 may provide communications to the customers of a particular state or region. Note that, as shown by the STPs in FIG. 2, the STP 30 depicted in FIG. 1A may actually constitute a larger network of more than one STP. Thus STP 30 of FIG. 1A may actually comprise STPs 130 and 140 shown in FIG. 2.
As is well known, telephone networks respond to standardized telephone number formats. A standard telephone number includes an area code such as "202," an exchange such as "555," and a local number such as "1212." Separate regions are designated by different area codes.
When a subscriber relocates from a region covered by one area code to another, callers attempting to contact that subscriber must necessarily use a different area code and telephone number. This presents obvious inconveniences and difficulties in tracking and announcing changes in telephone numbers. Certain advantages would be gained by obtaining a single number that does not vary with geographic location or telephone service provider. In an effort to provide those advantages, companies have developed what is known as "500" number service.
Under existing systems and recent proposals, the SAC 500 has been set aside for use with geographic-independent telephone services. The 500 SAC triggers appropriately programmed SSPs to query an SCP. The query may include, for example, the exchange of the dialed 500 number. MSAP locally stores a look-up table listing the service providers corresponding to particular exchanges. A CPR is executed by MSAP to determine, through use of the look-up table, which service provider is associated with the dialed exchange. MSAP responds to the query by instructing the SSP to route the call to the identified service provider. The service provider may then perform further number translations to route the call to its final destination. This type of service is commonly known as "subscriber translation."
It is important to note, however, that the translation systems described above rely upon information residing with specific service providers or SCPs. As a result, such systems suffer from distinct disadvantages, particularly in establishing and terminating services.
For example, currently, establishing a basic 500 number service for a particular subscriber requires the modification of look-up table databases on each SCP within a desired service region. If a subscriber desires to switch service providers and maintain the same 500 number, all of the associated SCPs must be modified to release the particular 500 number for use by the new provider. Only at that point can the new provider begin to initiate service by further modifying pertinent SCPs to reflect a new routing criteria. Even then, the modified SCPs are still only able to direct a call to a particular service provider, which must then make further number translations before a call reaches its intended destination.
In other words, in today's 500 number proposals, the 500 numbers must be assigned to particular service providers for the system to function. Thus, for example, 500 numbers with the exchange "525" might be assigned to AT&T who would provide service for the 10,000 possible telephone numbers associated with that exchange. If more than 10,000 telephone numbers are needed, then AT&T must acquire another 500 exchange. Therefore, service providers and 500 numbers cannot be chosen independently. While this is a simplified illustration of the problems involved in service creation and termination, it serves to demonstrate at least some of the overall complexities and disadvantages of the current and recently proposed systems.